The Best Time To Take A Pregnancy Test
If you have a regular menstrual cycle , then you are only at risk of pregnancy if you had unprotected heterosexual sex or had a high risk of sperm touching your genitals during your fertile window. This is the six days leading up to and including ovulation, usually around the middle of your cycle . You can take a pregnancy test about two weeks after your estimated ovulation day, but the earlier you take a test the less accurate it may be and some brands are more sensitive than others . You should probably take a pregnancy test or contact your healthcare provider if your period is nine or more days late.
If you have an irregular cycle , then unprotected sex or exposure of sperm on your genitals at most times represents a risk. You can take a pregnancy test about two weeks after your last unprotected sexual encounter, though the earlier you take a test the less accurate it may be and some brands are more sensitive than others .
If you get a negative result at first and your period still hasnât come after a week, you might want to try taking another pregnancy testâjust to be sure. The sooner you know if you are pregnant or not, the sooner youâll be able to develop a plan . You can get confidential testing and counseling in most healthcare providersâ offices and clinics.
Dont Ignore A Missed Period
If you keep track of your periods, youll probably know right away if something is amiss. Keep a period diary in your calendar or get an app designed for that purpose. Your period records can provide valuable information for you and your doctor.
Doctors want to know details about your previous periods so we can determine if theres an issue, Dr. Higgins says. An occasional late period is often the result of something minor, but if you frequently have late or irregular periods, check with your doctor to rule out other health conditions.
How To Keep Your Menstrual Cycle On Track
If you miss your period while on the pill and you havent missed any doses, pregnancy isnt likely. Instead, the hormones in the pill are likely the cause. If you miss a second period and havent missed any doses, pregnancy is still unlikely. At this point though, if youre sexually active, its still worth taking a pregnancy test or calling your doctor.
Your doctor can help you address any other factors that may be at play. After youve pinpointed the cause, you should be able to get your period back on a regular cycle. You may be able to do this in a number of ways:
- Make sure you take time to relieve stress. Try breathing techniques, yoga, restorative walks, and even journaling to get at the root of your stress.
- Eat a healthy diet and work to keep your weight in a normal range. If you suspect you have an eating disorder, tell a friend or your doctor so they can point you to the resources you need to get help.
- Keep up with regular exercise. Your activity level may seem manageable to you, but see if stepping back a bit helps your regular bleeding resume.
Don’t Miss: Is It Normal To Have A Period For 2 Weeks
Being Overweight Or Obese
Being overweight or obese can also affect your menstrual cycle. If you’re overweight, your body may produce an excess amount of oestrogen, one of the hormones that regulate the reproductive system in women.
The excess oestrogen can affect how often you have periods, and can also cause your periods to stop. Your GP may refer you to a dietitian if you have a BMI of 30 or more, and it’s affecting your periods. The dietitian will be able to advise you about losing weight safely.
When To See A Doctor
Missing a period does not always indicate pregnancy or a health issue. Speak with a doctor if periods do not arrive by age 16 or if they stop for more than 3 months in a row.
Tracking periods can help a person recognize any irregularity. Anyone who notices a change in the length of time between periods should speak with a doctor. Also, it is a good idea to consult a doctor if periods come more often than every 21 days or less often than every 45 days.
Amenorrhea is not life-threatening . However, the hormonal imbalances that can cause it can also lead to harmful complications, such as hip and wrist fractures. A doctor can help identify the cause of menstrual irregularity and recommend an effective treatment or management plan.
Also, anyone who suspects that they are pregnant, even after taking Plan B, should speak with a doctor.
You May Like: Online Pregnancy Test Before Missed Period
You May Like: Why Am I So Tired Before My Period
You Have Another Chronic Condition
Certain chronic health problems, especially celiac disease and diabetes, are sometimes associated with menstrual irregularities.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects your digestive system. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their immune system reacts by attacking the lining of the small intestine.
When the small intestine is damaged, it impairs the bodys ability to absorb nutrients from food. Subsequent malnourishment affects normal hormone production and leads to missed periods and other menstrual irregularities.
Those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes might also experience a missed period in rare cases. This tends to only happen when blood sugar levels arent managed at ideal levels.
Youve Upped Your Workout Intensity
A strenuous exercise regimen can also cause missed periods. This is most common in those who train for several hours a day. It happens because, whether intentionally or not, youre burning way more calories than you are taking in.
When you burn too many calories, your body doesnt have enough energy to keep all its systems running. This can lead to a hormonal imbalance that throws off your menstrual cycle, leading to missed or late periods.
Periods typically go back to normal as soon as you stop training so hard or increase your caloric intake.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a set of symptoms caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. People with PCOS dont ovulate regularly. As a result, your periods may be lighter than normal, arrive at inconsistent times, or disappear altogether.
Other PCOS symptoms can include:
- excess or coarse facial and body hair
- acne on the face and body
- weight gain or trouble losing weight
- dark patches of skin, often on the neck creases, groin, and underneath breasts
- skin tags in the armpits or neck
Read Also: Does Brown Discharge Mean First Period
How Can You Tell If You Are Pregnant Without A Test
The most common early signs and symptoms of pregnancy might include:
How Does Stress Make Your Period Late Lets Break It Down
Heightened stress levels cause an increase in the production of stress hormones like cortisol. Short bursts of stress hormones are not major issues for your hormonal balance. After the initial shock, stress hormone levels tend to return to baseline fairly quickly.
Ongoing, chronic stress can cause a ripple effect to the delicate balance of your reproductive hormones which are responsible for keeping your cycles regular and symptom-free.
Stress can lead to changes in the length of your period, as well as a whole host of other hormonal symptoms like PMS, painful periods, acne breakouts and fatigue.
Delayed or missing periods arent truly related to your period arriving late, but rather late ovulation. Heightened stress causes the body to delay ovulating until a safer time arrives.
Whilst a late period is anything but reassuring, it is actually a sign of our body trying to keep us safe. During periods of extreme stress, conceiving a child and adding more responsibility to our life is deemed an unsafe possibility.
Your body has the ability to shut down or delay ovulation until a time that it feels your environment is safe again. This might be a few days or weeks, or it may be several months or years depending on the nature of your stress.
It is a commonly held myth that your body can ovulate but then delay bleeding for several weeks or months. The part of your cycle which is delayed is almost always the follicular phase , rather than the luteal phase .
You May Like: How To Make My Period End Faster
Youve Lost Or Gained Weight
Severe changes in body weight can lead to a condition known as secondary amenorrhea, which means missing your period for three months or more. This is particularly common when your BMI undergoes a rapid change.
Extreme increases or decreases in body fat can lead to a chaotic hormonal imbalance that causes your period to come late or stop entirely.
In addition, severe calorie restriction affects the part of your brain that talks to your endocrine system, giving instructions for the production of reproductive hormones. When this communication channel is disrupted, hormones can get really out of whack.
Things That Delay Your Period
A missed period is often the first sign of pregnancy, but there are other reasons for lateness, too. Here are some other factors that can delay your monthly flow:
Extreme diet and exercise
A healthy diet and regular exercise can do wonders for your health. But if you overdo it, you might say bye-bye to your periods, at least temporarily.
Athletes who train really hard or who dont get enough calories may stop menstruating, Dr. Higgins says. Its the bodys way of telling you that it doesnt have enough resources to support a pregnancy.
When your periods stop due to weight loss, diet or exercise, youre experiencing secondary amenorrhea. This means you previously had periods, but they have stopped. Secondary amenorrhea might happen to you if you:
- Eat an extreme, calorie-restricted diet.
- Have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia.
- Lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.
- Undergo hardcore exercise training, such as for a .
Polycystic ovary syndrome
PCOS is a hormonal imbalance that interferes with the release of an egg . When you dont ovulate, you usually dont have a period. Many people with PCOS have irregular, late or missing periods. Other symptoms of PCOS include:
- Excess facial or body hair.
- Weight gain or trouble losing weight.
Doctors diagnose PCOS by checking your symptoms and performing medical tests when needed. Medication and lifestyle changes can help manage the symptoms.
Stress
Some examples of major stress include:
Hormonal contraceptives
Don’t Miss: Why Does Copper Iud Cause Heavier Periods
Why Is My Period Late On Birth Control
Contraceptives can help regulate your periods, but other factors including stress, diet, and changes in weight can still affect your menstrual cycle. It’s also possible to experience oligomenorrhea, infrequent or abnormally light bleeding, while using contraceptives.
What Is A Late Period
Although a few people might have pinpoint predictability with periods, most have a little variation. So if your period is a day or two late, dont panic.
Your menstrual cycle is the length of time from day one of your period to day one of your next period, Dr. Higgins says. On average, these cycles are 24 to 38 days long.
That means that a 28-day cycle one month and a 26-day cycle the next month is probably nothing to worry about. Your period might be considered late if:
- Its been more than 38 days since your last period.
- Youre normally really regular, and your period is more than three days late.
Don’t Miss: When Should My Period Start On Birth Control
Why Am I Missing My Period
Imagine: No cramps. No bleeding. No wondering when Aunt Flo is coming to town. Not having a period might sound like a nice break, but in reality, its not. Granted, having a period may not always be convenient, but it is a natural process that ensures the bodys reproductive systems are operating properly.
Menstrual cycles can be irregular, but the absence of your period can be cause for concern. If youre 16 or older and have never had a period, this is called primary amenorrhea. If youve had periods in the past, but havent had one in six months, this is secondary amenorrhea.
A variety of factors can lead to amenorrhea. If youre pregnant or breastfeeding, its normal to not have a regular period. But in other cases, a lack of a period can be a sign of an underlying condition. While a missing period is the first symptom something is not quite right, you may have other signs as well, such as frequent headaches, changes in vision or cramping but no bleeding.
Are Hormones To Blame
When you get your period, your levels of estrogen and progesterone are low.
In the first 4 or 5 days, your pituitary gland increases output of follicle-stimulating hormone and your ovaries start producing more estrogen.
Between days 5 and 7, estrogen levels typically crest, your pituitary gland releases a surge of luteinizing hormone , and your progesterone levels start to increase.
A shift in hormone levels could create the appearance of a stop-and-start pattern.
Period flow or regularity issues could be affected by a variety of health conditions, including:
- Fibroids, which are abnormal benign growths that develop in or on the uterus.
- Endometriosis, which occurs when endometrial tissue grows outside the uterus.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome , which occurs when the ovaries make large amounts of androgens . Sometimes, small fluid-filled sacs form in the ovaries.
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Period Smell After Period
Why Am I Not Getting My Periods
Causes of absent menstruation Natural causes most likely to cause amenorrhea include pregnancy, breast-feeding, and menopause. Lifestyle factors may include excessive exercise and stress. Also, having too little body fat or too much body fat may also delay or stop menstruation. Hormonal imbalances may cause amenorrhea.
What To Do When Your Period Is Late
If your period is more than a week late and you got a negative pregnancy test, you may want to schedule an appointment with your health care provider to be safe. Your doctor can do a blood test to confirm that youre not pregnant.
If the blood test is also negative and your practitioner rules out any other possible concerns, its fine to sit back and go with the flow . Every woman skips a period now and then, especially if shes under stress or has been sick. Relax and do what you can to ease anxiety by eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising.
From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.
You May Like: Home Remedies To Stop Your Period
If You Dont Want To Be Pregnant And Just Want Your Period Back Then Call Carafem
We talk with you about your options, and can oftentimes make next-day appointments. If you decide that you dont want to be pregnant , then were happy to guide you through the process of a calm, educational, and non-judgmental abortion experience.
Our appointments are about an hour-long, and you spend the entire time with a knowledgeable and compassionate clinician who can answer your questions and assist you, every step of the way. And bonus well even talk about birth control options so that you can determine the best method for your life! If you choose to have an abortion, then your period may return as soon as two weeks after your appointment.
Causes Of A Missed Period
Often there is nothing to worry about when periods stop, and no serious cause. There are certain times when it is normal not to have periods. These include:
- Before puberty. Girls start to go through puberty from around the age of 9 years and their periods start a year or two later. Up until that point girls do not have periods.
- During pregnancy. If you are pregnant, your periods will normally stop until after the baby is born.
- During breastfeeding. If you are fully breastfeeding, you will normally not have a period until you stop. You may find you have a bleed if you drop a feed, or start to breastfeed less.
- After menopause. The menopause is the time in your life when your ovaries stop producing eggs and you stop having periods. The average menopause is around the age of 51. You will be classed as having gone through the menopause a year after your last period. However, it is extremely common for your periods to become less regular in the years leading up to the menopause. See the separate leaflet called Menopause for more details.
- If you are using certain types of contraception. Some types of contraception may stop periods. They do not do so in all women however, it is normal not to have periods if you are using:
Don’t Miss: What To Do When Your Stomach Hurts On Your Period
If You Continue Your Pregnancy
If you choose to continue your pregnancy to term, then you most likely wont get your period back until about six weeks after you give birth. Factors that impact the return of your period after birth include things like stress, whether youre breastfeeding or not, and if you start using hormonal birth control.
So there you have it how to find your period when it goes missing!
Abortion Information You Can Trust
carafem medical standards and guidelines have been composed and approved by Board-certified Ob/Gyn Physicians as part of the carafem medical committee. Still have questions? Check out our FAQ page, or call us at , or find a location near you.